Thysaeric Military
The considerable population and martial traditions of the republic afford it one of the largest militaries in Ameros; kind of a necessity with as much territory as they control. The Thysaeran military is not governed by the rules that the civilian populace runs on. There is no room in the Thysaeric armed forces for hierarchies where power is passed through familial lines, or patronage from higher ranking officers to enlisted personnel. It runs itself on a strict meritocracy as per the requirements of both the Senate and highest ranking officers. This means that certain fields, such as the officers corps, which have historically been elf-dominated are slowly becoming less so, but that is the price of progress and integration with shorter lived races. The only way to get anywhere in the Republic's forces is through one's own hard work and talents, and they demand everything they can get out of everyone who serves. Service is voluntary rather than mandatory in the republican military, but the Thysaeric soldier's contract demands all who sign up to serve for as long as is physically possible. This can be for decades or even centuries, the only retirement is through an inability to continue service. It's a bit more problematic for non-elvish soldiers whose lifespans are actually measurable and known to have limitations, as they must worry about one day having to prepare to retire and readjust back to civilian lifestyles they abandoned a lifetime ago; it's not so hard for an elf, as no elf who has joined the military has ever retired except through death. Thankfully, the Senate foresaw such a potential issue, and instated pension and benefits packages for veterans the day they had non-elves signing up for service. The republic's armed forces are divided into the Republican Guard, the Air Corps, the Navy, and the Black Legion. It's easy to mistake them for being a primitive force, as they prefer to rely less on modern technologies and more on magical techniques and creatures, but ever since trade was opened up with other countries the republic has been slowly and steadily updating their forces to meet modern standards and practices. The Republican Guard serves the functions of both police and full time army, handling the majority of the republic's ground operations as is required. To accomplish these ends, the Guard is divided into the Legion, which handles military affairs, and the Centuries, who handle police work. A Legionnaire's days are spent training, drilling, and patrolling the republic's borders, waiting for the day they are called to war. They don't get to use much in the way of armored regiments but instead possess a huge number of mages to make up for it. Most soldiers are given Ranger training, and every combat squad has at least one Wizard and one Sorcerer, sometimes two or three. The high population of draconids within the republic has given a heft boost to the numbers of Sorcerers within their ranks, which is a source of endless delight for elvish strategic officers. The Centurions are usually made up of Legion veterans who are getting too old or too wounded to keep playing war games, and as more and more non-elves have joined the Legion, the Centurions' numbers have swelled significantly. The Air Corps is the most primitive branch of the republic's military, as they are forced to rely less on advanced aircraft and more on flying beasts such as griffons and giant birds, and a small fleet of simple airships propelled by steam and low-power magic. Many officers have been clamoring for a larger budget, citing a need to procure proper, modernized aircraft, claiming that while the current fleet and their beast riders are potent, they are at a severe disadavantage which significantly blunts the whole of the republic's military because of the increasing demand for rapid deployment and response maneuvers. This is a great source of aggravation within the Corps, no small number of officers have lodged formal and public complaints that newer, better air superiority technologies are necessary if they're to continue protecting local airspace or launch attacks into enemy territories. The Republic Navy by contrast is the most advanced branch of the armed forces, having access not only to magical boats but a wide slew of modern mundane craft. They possess a very large, diverse fleet- older boats can be used for keeping Kassun's coastlines secure with only a few modifications needed every few years, while the newer vessels are kept and used for maneuvers that let the republic keep on even terms with any other country's navy. The Grand Admiral of the Republic Navy, Alberico Nardiello, has gone on record stating that were it not for the purchases the Republic has made from their new allies in the Ryengo Empire, and the designs republican engineers make based off these acquisitions, that the Republic would not exist as a naval presence. The older fleet is powerful but lacking in the critical fields of speed, firepower, and durability; that if the Republic had been forced into wars before they could upgrade their navy, even the pirate scum in Paradise City would have laughed them off the waves. Several captains from the Brethren of Rum and Blood are known to have agreed with this statement. Lastly there is the Black Legion, the republic's elite special forces branch. They are the smallest but most widely feared and dangerous people in the whole of the republican military. Only the best of the best are allowed to join the Black Legion, and there is basically no retirement ever from it: if you join, you don't quit until you die; in fact, you might as well consider yourself dead the minute you sign the contract. The Legion takes its name from the private cult that every member is required to join, dedicated to a lesser deific power from old times known as Li'dae, the Black Rabbit. Li'dae is said to stalk at the edges of conflicts great or small, granting a quick, merciful, painless death to those who are suffering or dying. The Black Legion follows a similar pattern, training to be lethally efficient. To accomplish this, they are given the best equipment available- every Legionnaire is outfitted with weapons customized for their individual strengths, every suit of armor is custom tailored to the individual's fit and made to look fearsome. But such an investment demands a greater return, the Black Legion demands almost grotesque amounts of effort on part of their Legionnaires to make up for the money spent on their equipment and higher-than-standard pay grades. The Black Legion is the first in and the last out, always found in the most brutal and dangerous parts of any combat action that involves the republic. Thi'thysaer Republic Back to Main Page